Hair-spring and balance mounting.



Patented Jul 29, 1919.

2 SHEET$SHEET I.

RECAUBERTL HAIR SPRING AND BMQANCE MOUNTING.

' I APPLICATION EILED IAN. 24.1916. 1,31 1,501

F. ECAUBERT.

mun SPRING AND BALANCE moummc.

Patented July 29, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 FREDERIC ECAUBERT, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

HAIR-SPRING- AND BALANCE MOUNTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed January 24, 1916. Serial N 0. 73,949.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, Fnnonnrc EOAUBERT,

a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, city of New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hair-Springs and Balance Mountings.

My invention relates in general to timepieces and more particularly to the mounting and adjustment of the hair spring and balance wheel by which time is measured.

In the usual mounting of the hair spring and balance wheel in watches, an adjustment arm is provided to loosely engage an intermediate portion of the hair spring between its two fixed ends, to constitute a terminus of the eifective length thereof whereby the time period is established. Thi adjustment arm is commonly mounted on the upper face of the supporting bridge while the balance wheel and hair spring are below the bridge. The supporting arm must have a projection passing from above the bridge to a plane below the bridge, so as to enter the plane of the hair spring which it must engage to regulate. Consequently the range of adjustment is limited to the clearance of this portion of the adjustment arm with respect to the supporting bridge. Furthermore, one end of the hair spring I is usually fixed with respect to the bridge, whereas the other is fixed with respect to the balance staff, the result being that a normal position of the balance wheel is established with respect to the bridge, and its oscillations are substantially equi-distant to each side of the normal. The collet and the roller which engages theescapement arm should, on the other hand, have a normal position which brings the roller in line with the center ofmovement of the escapement arm'and the balance wheel stafi, so that the movement of the escapement roller is uniform to either side of the escapement arm. The normal position established by securing the spring to the bridge or with respect to the bridge, may'not readily 'conform with the normal position required by the escapement roller, and in such cases the fixed point on the spring must be varied at considerable difliculty. One of the important objects of my present invention is to make this fixed point freely movable with respect to the bridge, so as to bring the normal position into the requisite conformity with the loca-' tion of the escapement roller whereby uniform oscillation of the balance wheel to either side with respect to the escapement roller is effected. Another important object of the invention is to provide a flatter constru'ction for the mounting and adjustment of the balance wheel and hair spring. Further objects of the invention are to provide a more delicate adjustment of the hair spring to make the parts more readily accessible, to 1mprove the mounting and arrangement of spirals, and to reduce the thickness of the mechanism. Other objects and advantages of the invention, such as the facility ofbalancing the hair spring, balance wheel and collet as aunit, will appear from a detailed description of an embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing. i

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved mounting and adjustment for the hair spring and balance wheel;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. it is a diagram illustrating a modified form of a spiral which may be employed;

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the method of securing the two ends of an ordinary spiral which may be employed in one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of another embodiment of hair spring mounting and adjustment;

Fig. 7 is a central vertical section thereof; and

Fig. 8 is 'a detail section on line VIII VIII of Fig. 6.

Referring to said drawing, 10 indicates the'brid'ge" piece having the jewel bearing 11 secured therein by'means of a plate 12- which is counter-sunk or let into the front of the bridge','soas not to project out from its front face. An adjustment frame 13 provided with a frusto-c'onical perforation is clamped against the underneath surface of bridge 10 by means of a frusto-conical arbor disk 14: secured therein and to the bridge by means of counter-sunk screws 15. The balance wheel stafi 16 passes through the frusto conical disk l t and is journaled in the stone l1. Balance wheel 17 and collet 18' are suitably mounted on staff 16. Collet 18 has the innerend of hair spring 19 se cured therein by wedge 20 1n the usual manner and its outer end passes through a pair ofyielding spring jaws 2 1, 22 and 23, 24 which are preferably allmtegral and constitute extensions 0f the adjustment frame 13. They are closedagainst their elasticity by journaled cams 25,'26, which are suitably screws 25, 26 prevent the transmission of sliding friction from the cam screws to the hair spring, and. by their resillence auto- ;matically open when the cam screws are turned into the proper positions. A pin 27 having a recess 28 for convenience of a'ctuating the same, is mounted in a portion of frame 13 intermediate the two clamps 21, 22

and 23, 24 as shown clearly in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. This pin 27 has a transverse slot 29 through which the hair spring 19 passes and by which it is engaged midway between the two clamps above referred to. The frame 13 may be formed of ferro-niekel or phosphorbronze, for example, while the hair spring is constructed of steel, or any other combination of'materials maybe employed so as to cause a differential expansion between the frame 18 and hair spring 19 with change of temperature The pin 27 may be employed to de deflect that portion of the hair spring which is-between the two clamps and when one of said clamps is closed, this deflection will result in the drawing in of a portion of the spring through the other clamp which is left open. If the jaw near the operating or effective length of the spring is closed while the other jaw is open, this deflection may .take'in an increment of length in the hair spring which can be delivered to the effective length upon closing the other jaw and opening the first mentioned jaw and then returning the pin 27 to its former po sition. The operation may be reversed by either reversing the sequence of opening and closing the two clamps or'reversing the actuation of the pin 27 In this way a primary adjustment of the hair spring can be accomplished. Once this has been accomplished, and further 'delicateadjustment is desired, the clamp at that side toward which it is desired to effect aslight movement of the hair spring can be opened while the clamp fromwhich this movementis to come, is left closed, and the mechanism then. sub j ected to a change intemperature which'will cause .a differential expansion resulting in the motion desired. In this way an increment of length will be produced, but this increment will' be passed through the open clamp. v To communicate this to the efiective length of the spring, it is only necessary. to closethe previously opened clamp and open the one previously closed, while still main Figs. '1, 2 and 8 that the balance and its associated parts, including. the hair spring can be rotated in unison about the frusto conical disk 14 through 360 without coming into contact with any portion of the bridge 10 and also without changing the relative positions of the two fixed ends of the hair spring. This construction thus makes it possible to adjust the hair spring and to bring the position of .the parts into proper conformity with the location of the escapement arm' without disturbing the adjustment... 7

- The spiral 19 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 has a reversal ofcurvature made by an outward bend of the hair spring. The same principle may be applied to the spiral by an'inward reversal as shownin Fig. 4. In this figure, 40 indicates the spiral which is understood to be suitably fixed at the staff 41 and 43 and44, 45 before entering the clamp 42, 43 and passing through the pin 46 on its way to clamp 4-4, 45. In either of these two forms, the loop formed by the reversal of curvature is adjacent to a part of the hair spring which is fixed at two points, whereby it may be readily bent to throw more or less of the weight to one side or another and effect a balancing of the hair spring, balance wheel and collet as a unit.

In Fig. 5, anordinary spiral 50 is secured by wedge 51 to the collet 52 and its outer end passes into the jaws'53, 54 which may be understood to represent portions of'the apparatus illustrated in Figs. '1, 2, 3, 6, 7

and 8.

-Referring to Figs. ,6, 7 and 8, 60 indicates the. bridge, which has a jewel bearing '61 introduced into the outer face thereof and held in place by meansof a cap 62. Cap 62 is held inthe depression formed in the front faceof bridge 60, by meansof screws63l a. pairhoflclamps constituted by the fixed and movable jaws 70, 71 and 72, 73,' which mounted in 'the yielding arms: 76, 77. The

fixed jaws and 72' constitute rigid, anvils and are substantially equi-distant.-' from the axis of oscillation, so that when: the hair spring is clamped against these two fixed anvils, it is effectively held in, the desired substantially circular form at these points. The arms-76, 77 are somewhat firmer than the jaws-71,7 3 so as 'topermit the actuation of thejaws 71, 7 3;directly toward the jaw parts 70, 72. A counter sink 7 8 is formed in the adjustment-frame 65 between the two clamps described and beneath this counter sink 78, a rib 7 9 is formed to unite the outer parts with the inner portion of .the adjustment frame. This rib 79-projects into the balance Wheel 67 so as to economize inthick ness of mechanism, and the bottom of the counter sink 78 actsto arrest the inward movement of the hair spring insaxial direc-- tion' when the latter is introduced.

The space constituted by thecounter sink 78' affords a convenient access to a portion of the hair spring, where a'suitable implement may.

be inserted to aid the adjustment. The bottomof the counter sink acts as a guard to prevent the tool from slipping into contact with the balancewheel 67 during this oper ation. In otherire'spectsthe use of the ad-. 7 justment frame-'mav correspond with that referred to in connection with Figs. 1, 2 and 3. These adjustment frames are illustrated as ma1nta1n1ng a curvature of the spiral spring at that portion engaged. The

entire hair spring may be mounted within a single operating plane, or the same as in the Breguet spiral arrangement to bring the outer end of the spiral nearer the stafl or axis of oscillation even in the apparatus constructed under the principle of Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the deflection of the outer turn in these figures being illustrated merely to. show the economy in thickness where the outer end of the hair spring may be disposed within the body of the adjustment arm, as distinguished from being entirely beneath the undersurface thereof.

I claim 1. A time measuring apparatus comprising in combination a hair spring and balance wheel and an adjustment member for determining the efl'ec'tive length of said hair spring, said adjustment member comprising a pair of independently operative clamps spaced apart and adapted to engage the hair spring at two points outside of its operating portion.

2. A time measuring apparatus comprising in combination a hair spring and balance wheel and an adjustment member for determining the effective length of said hair spring, said adjustment member comprising a pair of independently operative clamps spaced apart and adapted to engage the hair spring at two points outside of its operating portion, said adjustment member being constructed of material having a different coopening and closing of said clamps.

4. A time measuring apparatus comprismg in combination a bridge P1866, a hair .springvand balance .wheel, and an adjust ment member comprising an arm movably secured to said bridge and having two hair spring gripping clamps one on either side, adapted to have sald hair sprlng mserted therein in either direction.

5. A tlme measuring apparatus comprising in combination a hair spring and balance wheel, and an adjustment member for determining the effective length of said hair spring, said adjustment member comprising a pair of clamps spaced apart and adapted to have the hair spring inserted therein in a direction axially of the balancewheel and provided with means between said clamps fora-Xially arresting the hair spring in the proper operating position. I

6. I A time measuring device comprising in combination a balance wheel, a hair spring, andmeans for securing the outer end of the hair spring, said means having a counter sink within the space of which the hair spring is accessible for adjustment, and be ing adapted to receive and arrest the hair spring in axial direction, and a clamp at each side of said counter sink for gripping the hair spring.

7. A time measuring device comprising in combination a balance wheel, a hair spring, and a pair of hair spring clamps spaced apart at a fixed distance from each other with space between them to permit transverse movement of the portion of the hair spring extending between them.

8. A time measuring device comprising in combination a hair spring and a regulator clamp therefor having a journaled cam for effecting the clamping pressure, and a resilient jaw interposed between said journaled cam and the hair spring and held against sliding upon the hair spring to avoid the application of friction to the hair spring.

9. A hair spring adjustment comprising in combination a balance wheel, a hair spring having one end secured thereto, means for securing the outer end of the hair spring and means for terminating the efl'ective length thereof; said i securing-f and terminatingmeans b'eing'in the forrno'f positive gripping I l ider. to vary thenaturaldistribution of the weight of the'hair'spring-about the balance Wheel'axis. I T

clamps andfshiftable unison;

.- A'hair' m 'adjustment comprising in combination a balance Wheel, a hair spring having one end'secured theretomieans I, ior securing the outer end of the hair spring and means for terminating the efiective length-thereof; said securing and terminat-Z mg? means being inthe form of positive gripping clamps and" shiftable in unison l "While maintaining constant adjustment, 1

11; A time-measuring apparatusoompris t, in combination, a vb a' lance Wheel, and a? :15'fone piece hair 'sprin'g having a major" in--' terior portion of suitablespiral curvature: and an outer portion curved ofl' in the form.

' 6 1 p fir m th eri-r l lp' f iqn g @p'po 'siit'ely extended: in substantially a "circular curve having its center'at the balance Wheel' axis, the form of'which loop may be altered to vary the balance of the hair spring, and regulating means applied to the said oppositely extended portion forterminating the effective length of the hairspring. Y

12. A time measuring apparatus comprisin combination, abalancewheel, and a Jone-piece hair spring having a major -interior -portion of suitable spiral curvature f and'an outer portion C111V3(1' Oif in the formi f of a' loop from the spiraljportionandloppositelyfextended in substantially a circular ourvehaving its center at the balance wheel 5 -"axis,i ,and i a clamp adapted"to rigidly grip i and'hold'the hair spring at thesaidoppo J sitely. extended portion, for terminatingthe eifective length and to v facilitate amanually altering the form of the looplpo'rti'on in or- .13. A' time measur' g device compi'ising in combination a hair spring, means for terminating the effective length thereof to 'establish the timeperiodi'c'ity, means for fixing a portion of said springbeyond'the terminus.

of such'efi'ectiveslength and 'meanszfor de- I fleeting theportionintermediatethe effective length terminus'andsuch point to vary the efiect'ivelen'gthlitr' 14; A time measuring device comprising in combination 'a' hair spring, means for tere minating the effective" length thereof to es- :taiblislr'the time periodicity, 'andmeans for deflecting a portion of 'the hair spring beyond the terminus of the" efiective length in a direction substantially 'at right angles to' its normal direction of extent to vary the efi'ecti've lengthi 15. A time measuring device comprising 'inzcombination a hair spring, a positive, clamp for fixing a portlon of said hair spring 7 to determine the efiective length thereof, means for=fixing a portion of said hair spring outside; of its effective length,

means: foropening and closing said clamp,

and ineanslfor deflecting a-portion of'said hair spring intermediate-the clamp and fixed point While saidclam-p is open tovary the effective length. 1 w 7 v FEEDER-1C: :ECAUBERT. l

f "namehriniqeieiic five ,cents' each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

